Robin Melen

Community Advisor

Robin Melén is a program officer at the Westchester Community Foundation, working in partnership with generous donors and the county’s nonprofits to strengthen Westchester through strategic grantmaking. Her main area of focus is youth development.Prior to joining the Foundation in 2013, Robin worked for many years as a managing editor at local newspapers and national magazines. She currently serves on the board of Rehabilitation Through the Arts in Katonah, a nonprofit organization which uses the creative arts as a tool for social and cognitive transformation behind prison walls. She has worked since 2002 as a volunteer at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, teaching and tutoring students in the Marymount Manhattan College program there.

Robin Melen's Contributions

Non-profit organizations in Westchester and Putnam counties that support everything from mental health care access to water monitoring in the Bronx will soon benefit from more than $824,000 in grants from the Westchester Community Foundation.Grants include $159,000 to support cleanup and water quality monitoring in the Bronx and Saw Mill rivers, Mianus River Gorge, and the Long Island ...

EDGEMONT, N.Y. -- In terms of knowledge about green resources and initiatives, Brad Tito is bringing a lot to the table in his new role at The Westchester Community Foundation.The 38-year-old Edgemont resident, recently elected to the foundation’s board of advisers, currently works at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERD) with communities to help them ...

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The Jacob Burns Film Center is exploring the growing militarization of police."Do Not Resist", a new documentary, is being screened Wednesday at 7 p.m. For nonmembers, admission is $15; for members, $10.To buy tickets, visit the theater’s website at www.burnsfilmcenter.org.The program is part of the center’s ongoing Community Matters: Local Issues, ...

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- Community leaders are gathering on Friday at Pace Law School in White Plains with The Keep Westchester Thriving Coalition to discuss ways to keep the county strong. "Our Budget. Our Values: A Community Conversation," begins with coffee and networking at 7:45 a.m., followed by the program from 8:30-10:30 a.m.The program will be moderated by Laura ...

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- Westchester Community Foundation has announced $552,000 in grants to various county nonprofit groups. “Young people continue to need support and guidance throughout their college years,” said program officer Robin Melén. “Our investments are in results-oriented programs geared to meet that need for students who are often the first in their family to attend ...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Former NBA player Nate "Tiny" Archibald spoke with young players for nearly an hour recently at the recent MVP Basketball Camp at White Plains Middle School.Archibald, who played for 14 years in the NBA with the Boston Celtics and Kansas City Kings, talked with the players about developing skills they need on and off the court. Archibald was an All-NBA ...

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- The staff of the Westchester Community Foundation in Hartsdale spent Monday morning cleaning out a storage shed at the Humane Society of Westchester in New Rochelle. Dozens of old, rusty crates, broken bird and small animal cages, and pieces of unusable old furniture were discarded for scrap and disposal, and all of the usable items were put back and organized. The ...

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- Seniors who used who used the services of The Guidance Center’s College & Careers Center were honored at a ceremony in New Rochelle on June 21.The CCC is also available at Mount Vernon High School and Nelson Mandela High School in Mount Vernon. The program works with kids who have college as a goal, and helps them get all the pieces in place so they can ...

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. -- The Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville will screen the 2015 documentary "Bikes vs Cars" on Sunday, June 5. "Bikes vs Cars," written and directed by Fredrik Gertten, examines the struggle for bicyclists in a society dominated by cars, and the enormous changes that could take place if more cities moved away from car-centric models.The ...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Latino U College Access's inaugural Speakers Panel, "Perspectives: The Future of Latino Youth in Weschester County," will be held Wednesday, April 20, at Reckson Metro Center in White Plains. The featured speaker will be Angela Maria Garcia, executive director of College Planning and Access for the College Board. Panelists will include Donovan Beckford, ...